Show abo uto the telephones former and what they ase bliem the chareen seem but aby the aeo of considerable conversation lecture for test call A continuous long distance telephone lino extends between boston and milwaukee a distance as tho line is run of 1800 miles A reporter who was wondering as many other people aro wondering no doubt if tho long distance telephone circuits are much used and if eo by what class of people and for what purposes called to ask those questions of edward P assistant general manager of the company in the main office at 18 cortlandt street yes said mr the long distance service is used to such a satisfactory extent that it is being constantly extended in the far western part of our territory milwaukee has been added to tho system and this side of chicago a line has recently been run down from toledo to dayton 0 and from dayton extensions are making which will bring the service what class of is most conducted over tho longer circuits 1 I should say that social and domestic affairs bring most of tho patrons now although there are somo business interviews conducted mr explained that the charges for long distance interviews are based upon five minutes conversation as a unit that is the charge between new york and washington is 2 between new york and chicago 9 for each civo minutes or portion of that time this does not include the time used in making the connection or bringing the parties to the ends of the line all subscribers to tho long distance can bo connected with the circuits just as they are in the local business if a man is wanted wha ia not a subscriber to the long distance service ho is hunted up and brought to a central station without charge when two people get fairly started on a long distance interview they can talk from to words in civo minutes according to the subject and their familiarity with it it is a fact that most interviews ter views end before the unit of time has elapsed one new york woman who bad her son at south bend ind whery he ia at school called up anxiously asked her startled hopeful if sho had put ats winter flannels in his trunk it ho had not maliciously carried off his fathers razor and it his tooth had stopped aching being satisfactorily answered on all these points she paid for the service and went on her way rejoicing business men chiefly use tho long distance to consult about terms of contracts or to report tho text ot contracts which must be repeated to insure accuracy the chief difference between the long distance and the short circuits ia that in tho former what is called a metallic service is used that is in talking between new york and chicago a distance of 1000 miles the service is really miles of wire eg to complete the circuit is doubled or looped to make the complete circuit metallic tho instructions for speaking and listening are the same as those printed for the use of the ordinary telephone and the result so far as hearing is concerned Is rather better over a thousand miles than over one this ia owing to the metallic circuit which does away with the maddening burr r r resulting from induction and from a heavier and superior copper wire the wire used in the long distance service weighs pounds a mile the ordinary service wire weighing but pounds mr eaid that while there was no mechanical reason why the service should not bo continued across the continent it is not probable that for the present at least it will go beyond the mississippi river owing to the great cost of construction operating and maintenance had been given to the reporter mr asked if a chat with chicago would not aid an understanding of the subject the reporter thought it might and mr drew toward him a movable standard telephone instrument and called up chicago that active city quickly responded spon ded and the telephone was turned over to the reporter the thousand milo away voice began in a clear singsong voice this is the worlds fair tele exchange station all right eaid the reporter im a sun man and wanted to hear your voice then it laughed and said in a natural manner 1 I have to answer about 00 test calls a day and have made up a little lecture which I 1 give them free then a conversation of several minutes followed unbroken by a burr r r a zip tsing or a single that new york sun i |